Voting apparatus



No. 607,503A Patented July I9, |898. l. B. COREY.

VOTING APPARATUS.

(Application filed Apr. 1T, MUT

(No Model.,x 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

/ Z522 I @D iwi/7 2/ FBOND Patented July I9, |898.

.|. B. CREY.

VOTING APPARATUS.

[Application lcd Apr, 17, 1.*97.)

(No Model.;

2 Sheets UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JAMES ll. GOREY, OF BRADDOCK, PENNSYLVANIA.

VOTING APPARATUS.

. SPECXFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 607,503, dated July 19, 1898.

Application filed April 17, 1897.

To @ZZ 1071/0712, 'zit may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES B. Conny, a citizen of the United States, residing at Braddock, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented or discovered a new and useful improvement in Voting Apparatus, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference heilig had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this application, in which- Figure l is a front elevation of one of my improved vote-registering machines. Fig. 2 is a central vertical section taken on the line ll Il of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line lll lll of Fig. 2. Fig. t is a similar view on the line 1V lV of the same ligure. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary piece of the ballot-strip. Fig. G is an interior face view of a voting-booth equipped with my machines. Fig. 7 is a side elevation, partly in section, of the booth. Fig. S is a perspective detail view of parts of the operative and locking mechanism, showing a modified construction in which the ballot is advanced by the return stroke of the rod. Fig. 9 is a detail view showing the inner end of the rod provided with the locking-latch and the locking and returning linger in normal position. Fig. l0 is a perspective view of the numbering and name-printing stamp. Fig. ll is a detail view of the rod and pawl in engagement with the feeding ratchet-wheel adapted to feed the ballot in the forward motion.

My invention comprises a mechanical system of voting and apparatus therefor whereby the operation of voting for one or any number of candidates is greatly simplified and the evils of repeating and other objectionable features overcome and rendered impossible and by which the actof voting is accomplished with ease and despatch irrespective of the educational qualilications of the voter.

Referring to the drawings, 2 is the frame or case of one of my machines, in which are mountedL the magazine-roller 3 on shaft Aland the ballot-win ding wheel 5, provided with hub 6, journaled with friction-springs 7 on shaft S, having an enlarged middle portion.

The 1ballot-strip {lconsists of a continuous strip of paper divided by regularly-spaced central perforations lO or otherwise into individual ballot-sections o., upon the reverse Serial No. 632,566. (No model.)

side of which are the consecutive-numbering figures ll. This strip of paper is wound around the `roller 3 and led around small rollers l2 13 through orifices in the front Wall, thus exposing upon the outside face of the machine a section of paper corresponding to slightly more than the length of one ballot, as shown in Fig. l. Thence the strip is led under a horizontal guiding-roller ll and around the intermittently-actuated positively-driven feed-roller l5, mounted on shaft 1G, and provided on its periphery with centrally-located projecting pins 17, spaced to correspond to the distance between the centers of holes l0 in the ballot-strip, into which the pins enter in the passage of the ballot around the roller, thus positively feeding the ballot forward.

A push-rod 1S is mounted horizontally in the upper part of the machine, provided with a pivoted pawl lO, adapted to engage the teeth of a wheel 20, secured to shaft 1G on the forward stroke, andthe motion thus transmitted to the roller l5 is just sufficient to feed the strip S) a distance equal to the length of one ballot.

2l is a bell secured in the top of the case, adjacent to which is a pivoted knoeker 22, provided with a retracting-spring 23 to throw it forcibly aga-inst the bell, and a dog 2l, secured to the rod 1S, engages the end of the linocker-arm 25 in the inward travel of rod 1S, thus givinga signal for each operation of the rod.

e is a hole in the back of the frame, through which the ballot-strip may be passed when voting is finished.

Pivotally mounted to the inside face of the ease at 2G is a bell-crank lever 27, one arm c of which projects upwardly and is engaged by a dog 2S, secured to rod 1S, and the other end d is attached to a connecting-rod 29, secured to the end of a pawl-arm 30, having a pivoted pawl 3l, adapted to en gage the teeth of a ratchet-wheel 32, (shown in dotted lines,) secured to the shaft S, and by this means it will be seen that at every operation of the rod 1S the dog 2S will engage the end c of the bell-crank lever 27 in normal position (shown in dotted lines) and will raise the lever to position shown in full lines, thus raising the connecting-rod 20, and arm 30, and throwing the shaft S around for a portion of a revolution IOO sufficient to wind up the excess of paper from feed-rollers 15. T his travel of the wheel 5 is caused by friction of the shaft 8 and springs 7 in the hub 6, and any excess of travel in the shaft over that in the wheel required to take up the slack is thus permitted, the shaft rotating with the hub.

In the lower front face of the machine is an opening 33, in which is inserted a photograph or picture of the candidate and his name.

In Fig. 10 I have shown a numbering-stamp which is used to stamp upon the ballot the number of the voter and is also provided with a slide 34, bearing the name of each voter. This stamp is retained by the election officer, who inserts the name of each voter and sets it for the next consecutive number, so that when it is given to the voter he merely stamps upon the exposed coupons of each of the machines bearing the names or pictures of the 'candidates for whom he desires to vote, and retires. A projecting arm 34', having a reciprocating motion with. the stamping-wheels, is so designed as to engage and depress the end of the rod 1S when the stamp is used, thus accomplishing the forward feed of the ballot immediately before the stamp comes into contact. In this manner the voter not only feeds the ballot-strip, but stamps his own number and name upon the ballot at one operation.

If preferred, the voter may push in the rod 1S by hand after having stamped his vote, thus effectually concealingit, and for the purpose of so locking the rod as to prevent its withdrawal and operation a second time l have provided at the other end a spring-latch 33, having an under sloping face 33', and immediately back of each rod a distance equal to the stroke of the rod are upright lockingfingcrs 35, one to each rod, secured to horizontal rock-shafts 36, arranged back of the machines, one shaft to each horizontal row of machines. To the respective ends of these shafts are secured levers 37, and attached to the outer ends of the cranks is acommon connecting-rod 3S, extending to the bottom and connected to a bell-crank lever 39, having a forwardly-extending rod 40, secured to the lower end of an operating-lever 41, by which the whole series of rock-shafts 86 is operated from one point by the election officer, thus controlling every machine in the booth.

It will be seen that a number of the inachines are assembled in a booth, one foreach candidate, and all candidates of each party are preferably extended in a horizontal row, the vertical rows designating the particular office for which the candidate aspires, as clearly shown in Fig. 6.

In the manner of operation described it will be seen that when the voter enters the booth 11e is confronted by a series of blank ballots, and in the act of registering his vote each individual ballot is stamped in succession until the entire ticket is voted, each ballot being automatically or independently fed forward as desired and concealed from view, as has been described. In this manner I accomplish the registering of a secret ballot, as the succeeding voter cannot see the previous ballot, nor can any voter cast more than one vote for any one candidate without detection, as his name and number would be duplicated thereby. In Fig. 8 I have shown mechanism by which the feeding of the ballot is accomplished independent of the voter by the return stroke of the rod through the system of levers and locking-fingers already described. The ratchet-wheel 2O is reversed in this case, and the ballot is designed to be fed between two rollers. By this means the voter simply stamps the ballot and depresses the rod and throws the pawl into engagement with the ratchet-wheel 20, the rest of the operationbeing accomplished by the election officer through the means described. This'action assures the secrecy of the previous ballot from the subsequent voter. In the case of a split ticket the voter will use his discretion and choice as to candidates, it being obvious that voting for more than one candidate for the same office will act to nullify the original vote.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-

l. In a voting apparatus, the combination of a case, a magazine-roller mounted therein, a feeding-roller provided with centrally-alining pins, a Winding-roller, a continuous perforated ballot mounted on such rollers and passing through openings in the case to expose a section of the strip, a push-rod provided with a pawl adapted to engage the ratchet-wheel of the feed ing-roller and a bellcrank lever having one arm in engagement with a bracket secured to the push-rod and the other pivoted to a lever having a pawl designed to engage the ratchet-wheel of the winding-wheel, substantially as set forth.

2. In a voting apparatus, the combination of a case, amagazine-roller mounted therein, a feeding-roller provided with centrally-alining pins, a Winding-roller, a continuous perforated ballot mounted on such rollers and passing through openings in the case to expose a section of the strip, a push-rod provided wit-h a pawl adapted to engage the ratchet-wheel of the feeding-roller, and a bell ICO IIO

mounted in proximity to the push-rod and a lJAMES B. COREY.

litnessesz C. M. CLARKE, GEO. B. PARKER. 

